65-year-old Liu Zhen has been driving the "Old Man Le" for ten years. Her family lives on Fuchengmennei Street, and although public transportation is not a problem in Beijing's urban area, this electric tricycle without a shed is still the most common means of transportation for Liu Zhen and her wife.
"Old man Le" is a colloquial name for a low-speed electric tricycle or four-wheeler. Because it is easy to use, does not require a license plate or driver's license, and is usually able to carry passengers, this type of transport is popular with the elderly. No matter day or night, whether it is picking up children home or sending his wife and children to the hospital, Liu Zhen relies on "old man music" to travel. And the alley where she lives has also been full of all kinds of "old man music".
While it was popular, controversy also ensued, and due to frequent traffic accidents, "Old Man Le" was called the "road killer" by some. Recently, a 22-year-old teacher in Xinye County, Henan Province was hit by the "old man Le" and unfortunately died, according to the road traffic accident certificate, the 75-year-old man who drove the "old man Le" should bear full responsibility for the accident.
The traffic problems brought by the "old man's music" have become increasingly prominent, and the control of old-age scooters has begun across the country. According to the "Notice on Strengthening the Management of Illegal Electric Three- and Four-Wheeled Vehicles" jointly issued by five departments including the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission, at the beginning of the new year in 2024, illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed to drive on the road and be parked in public places such as roads, squares, and parking lots. If you drive or park on the road in violation of regulations, the law enforcement department will investigate and deal with it in accordance with the law. Cities in Hunan, Jiangsu and other places are also strengthening the control of old scooters on the road.
The "old man's music" began to disappear, and the travel problems of the elderly were further highlighted.
Discord's "Old Man's Music"
The reason why many elderly people choose "old man music" is because of convenience.
Ten years ago, the reason why Liu Zhen spent 2,000 yuan to buy this "old man's music" was to facilitate the travel of herself and her wife. At that time, the son who had already married no longer lived with him, and the old couple lived alone in the hutongs of Beijing, living on a person's pension, with neither the funds to buy a car nor the need to learn to drive.
"One-three-five dialysis, two-four-six to see a doctor", Liu Zhen's wife is not in good health, with kidney and heart problems, for ten years, Liu Zhen has driven this "old man's music" every day to send his wife to a nearby hospital. The car was small, traveling at twenty or thirty miles, and could normally be stowed into their own yard. There is no shed on the body, and when it rains, both of them have to wear raincoats. Liu Zhen was very careful, moving slowly at a lower speed, and had not encountered a traffic accident in these years. When it comes to the license, Liu Zhen believes that because she bought it earlier, "I haven't heard of a license."
In recent years, "old man's music" has been widely used by the elderly throughout the country. According to the "2023-2029 China Electric Tricycle Industry Market Operation Pattern and Development Strategy Analysis Report" released by Zhiyan Consulting, from 2021 to 2022, China's electric tricycle production will reach 13.05 million and 14.04 million respectively (including cargo electric tricycles, manned electric tricycles and special vehicles).
Traffic accidents caused by "old man's music" also occur frequently. According to the official website of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, in the past five years, there have been 830,000 low-speed electric vehicle traffic accidents across the country, resulting in 18,000 deaths and 186,000 injuries, and the number of accidents and fatalities has increased year by year, with an average annual growth of 23.3% and 30.9% respectively. In 2022, a total of 131 traffic accidents involving illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles occurred in Beijing, resulting in 138 deaths.
Therefore, the problem of "old man music" on the road has also been concerned by relevant departments.
Gan Shirong, a partner at Beijing Huacheng Law Firm, pointed out that when talking about vehicles on the road, it generally refers to motor vehicles driving on the road. According to the provisions of the "Road Traffic Safety Law" and the implementation regulations, it is necessary to hang the motor vehicle number plate, place the inspection mark, the insurance mark, and apply for the motor vehicle driving license before driving on the road. There are no special requirements for non-motorized vehicles on the road, such as bicycles, tricycles, rickshaws, and animal-powered vehicles. According to local regulations, such as Beijing, Guangdong and other places, driving electric bicycles must hang non-motor vehicle license plates.
"'Old Man Le' is a 'three-no' product without a motor vehicle license, no driving license, and no insurance. Gan Shirong introduced that this type of car is not produced with the permission of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and is not included in the "Announcement of Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products", and the performance of the vehicle often does not meet the technical standards for motor vehicle safety. According to the Road Traffic Safety Law, electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles belong to motor vehicles. "Old man Le" who does not meet the national safety technical standards for motor vehicles will not be registered, cannot apply for motor vehicle number plates, and are not allowed to drive on the road.
Elderly people who drive such vehicles often do not have professional driving training, which may have a certain impact on road traffic, Gan Shirong said. In addition, Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the passenger association, also pointed out that the "old man's music" is in an awkward situation, it is neither a car nor an electric car, but a combination of the two. According to his understanding of the industry, most of the "old man's music" configuration is not up to standard, especially in safety, anti-collision and other aspects.
"Old Man Le" exited
Gan Shirong pointed out the reason why this kind of vehicle is difficult to manage, he believes that on the one hand, the industry can promote economic development and drive employment; on the other hand, this kind of means of transportation can indeed provide convenience for the majority of middle-aged and elderly people, no need to apply for a license, do not need to test for a driver's license, and go directly on the road.
In fact, the control of old scooters has already begun across the country. At the end of 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Management of Low-speed Electric Vehicles", which clearly included old scooters in the category of low-speed electric vehicles under supervision.
In some areas, the "old man's music" began to withdraw. In July 2021, the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission and other five departments jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Management of Illegal Electric Three- and Four-Wheeled Vehicles", stating that a transition period will be set for illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles purchased before the notice is issued, and the transition period will end on December 31, 2023. From January 1, 2024, illegal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles are not allowed to be driven on the road and parked in public places. If you drive or park on the road in violation of regulations, the law enforcement department will investigate and deal with it in accordance with the law.
In order to better guide the elderly to take the initiative to recycle "old man music", in 2023, various districts in Beijing will also introduce incentive programs for the recycling and disposal of personal electric three- and four-wheeled vehicles. Through official channels such as streets, drivers of illegal three- and four-wheeled vehicles can receive incentives and subsidies of up to 1,000 yuan and 1,500 yuan respectively, and the recycling company will also issue a depreciation fee. Over time, the reward amount gradually decreases.
On January 7, the reporter called the recycling outlet in Beixinqiao Street, and the other party said that the acquisition had been completed at the end of last year, and now even if you want to recycle, there is no subsidy.
But in fact, Beijing's "old man's music" has not completely disappeared. At about 16 o'clock on January 5, along the road of Longtan Lake in Beijing's Dongcheng District, the reporter found six "old man music" within half an hour, some parked on the side of the road, some speeding on the road, and behind the driver, often carrying a child.
Liu Zhen, who still handed in the "old man's music" after hesitation, can understand why these peers are still "committing crimes against the wind". Behind this is the problem of the difficulty of the elderly to travel. When she first said that she could give a subsidy of 1,000 yuan, Liu Zhen thought it was a good deal, but she didn't recycle it immediately. Liu Zhen really can't think of any better means of transportation, like her electric tricycle, to send her unwell wife and children to the hospital in time without spending too much money. Even if there is no need for medical treatment, Liu Zhen can't walk for a long time on her own legs and feet, and she can't even climb the stairs. She used to love perms, but she hasn't been to the barbershop since it moved to the third floor. She believes that she is in great need of a convenient transportation tool now.
How to solve the difficulty of the elderly to travel
Cui Dongshu believes that in this case, the elderly can choose other means of transportation, such as public transportation, or buy regular electric vehicles. The use of illegal means of transportation on the road makes it even more difficult to ensure one's own rights and interests.
"There may be a way out for the 'old man' road", Gan Shirong believes, for example, the products should be made to meet national standards, included in the relevant lists, and drivers should be formally trained, obtain the corresponding driver's license, and let them drive compliant vehicles to travel. In the face of the current situation that the elderly are difficult to travel, the first is to strengthen publicity and education, improve the understanding of drivers, especially middle-aged and elderly drivers, on the safety of electric three or four wheels, and carry out simple and necessary driving technology, traffic safety knowledge training, to ensure the safety of public travel;
At the moment, the elderly are guarding their "old man's music" while waiting for a better way.
Cheng Yang is a native of Huangshan, Anhui Province, and the city has not yet begun to fully clear the "old man's music". Cheng Yang's grandfather is over 70 years old this year and lives alone with his wife in the city. The few kilometers from home to the market became a problem. Due to the inconvenience of his grandfather's legs and feet, the children spent more than 10,000 yuan to buy him an "old man's music", which has air conditioning in the shed, but no seat belts, and everything is the same as the installation of an electric car.
Grandpa doesn't like to look at traffic lights, sometimes he will drive directly into the car, last year he drove the "old man Le" accidentally collided with others, fortunately the person was fine, just went to change the lights. Considering that it is really inconvenient to travel, his family still let him use this transportation tool.
Liu Zhen, who is in Beijing, bought an electric wheelchair for her wife. Due to the inconvenience of her legs and feet, now her wife can only go to the hospital alone to do dialysis and other treatments every day, she stays at home every day, and she has never been able to feel at ease, just looking forward to a better way, such as the introduction of policies that are more convenient for the elderly to travel, such as the emergence of safer and more convenient means of transportation.